University of Arkansas Innovation Center
Fayetteville, AR
The 35,000 SF Innovation Center anchors the Arkansas Research and Technology Park
and provides office and laboratory space for technology-intensive companies, creating
an interactive culture with the University of Arkansas.
The two-story glass north facade allows complete visibility into the structure. Clad in steel panels, the
second floor hovers over the first floor with grand cantilevers in apparent defiance
of gravity while controlling daylight. Its explicit structural articulation connotes
the building’s technological prowess, with the intent that the architecture communicates
systems, purpose, and use. The modular floor plan utilizes interior glazed office
partitions, which were used to allow as much interior natural light as possible
to provide occupants with visual connection to the exterior environment.
The first LEED certified building in the state, a primary focus of the design
process was to be environmentally sensitive: water harvesting systems, light colored
roofing and parking lot materials to reduce microclimate warming, light sensors
that monitor light levels and occupancy, raised flooring and modular walls that
allow tenant reconfiguration without construction debris, and building maintenance
procures that prohibit use of harmful cleaning materials.
Education 